Kinson



T. S. WILKINSON. SMOKE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED mm. :9. ma.

Patented y 13, 1919.

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UNITED ST ES PATENT orrrcn.

morons s.- wmxnison, or wssnme'ron, DISTRICT or cotmm, Assrenoa' 'ro THE w "eovmmmrr or man om'rnn s'ra'rns.

- suoxn APPARATUS.

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates. to what may be termed smoke apparatus for use on boats of .all kinds for'the purpose of emitting a dense screen of smoke, vapor or gas adapted to obscure the maneuvers of a boat. Devices of this general character are particularly advantageous for use on merchant ShlPS for the-purpose of screening the same from the view of a pu-rsuing submarine.

. above general character,-of light One of the objects of the'present inven tion is to provide a smoke apparatus of the portable construction which may be easily the above general charac ter which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and operate. A further object" is to provide an apparatus of the above general character, which will producea thick disposition thereof; all as more completely screening smoke, preferably of lightish color, and of sufiiclent specific gravity to rest on the. surface of the water and spread upwardly therefrom for a relatively long 1 of time.

' er objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated .in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordmgly consists in the featm-es of construction, combination. of

parts and in the unique relations of the memers and in the relative proportionmg and outlined herein. 4 4

To enable others skilled in the art so'fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and -relation contemplated by this invention,

Specification of Letters Patent.

a citizen of the United States, re- I and quickly installed on the deck of a boat. An other-object is to Frovi'de asimple and practical apparatus 0 7 its own pressure.

- Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed March 29, 1918. Serial No. 225,526.

Referringtothe drawings in detail, 6 indica'tes a cylmdrical open-ended chamber approximately two feet in diameter and seven eet long, which may be made of any suitable material, but referably sheet iron, in view of its durability and relative inexpensiveness. .This chamber is supported in a metallic framework, or cradle 7, of any dc .sired type adapted to rest on the deck of the boat. In operation, this chamber is laced with the-left hand end (Fig. '1) outard and downwind. .The opposite end is provided with an inwardly tapering funnel 8, 1n the center of which is mounted a fan 10 of any desired type for delivering the maximum amount of air through'the chamber.

This fan is preferably driven by rotating the crank arm 11 to actuate intervening power transmitting mechanism, such as a chain of "gears (not shown) positioned within the casing 12. 5 These parts, which revolve in a ratio of about 30 to 1, should be suitably baizgced to avoid vibration under high sp v Near one end of the casing 6 and at the side thereof is a hand-hole 13 adapted to permit access to the spray nozzles 14, shown in Fig. 5. ',T-hese spray nozzles, preferably 4 in number, are mounted on suitable cross arms 15 and connected with a pipe 16.1eading through a strainer 17 and thence to a sugiply tank 18 resting on the deck at one si e of the chamber 6. This supply tank 18 ma -be tilted as shown. At the forward en of the chamber is mounted a second single-spray nozzle 20, which communicates through the top of the chamber and piping 21 to a second supply tank 22. Both of the piges leading to the spray nozzles are provi ed with suitable valves 23 and 24. for closing the same when desired.

The cylinders 22 and 18 contain liquefied ammonia and liquid silicon tetrachlorid respectively, the former being a gas which is liquefied, compressed and stored under The silicon tetrachlorid, however, is a liquid under ordinary temperatures, that is under 133 degrees Fahrenheit, and must be sprayed by artificialgas pressure. This gas pressure is preferablysupplied by filling the cylinders only partially with the liquid silicon tetrachlorid carbon-dioxid gas under pressure of about 300 pounds per square inch. The tetraand charging the residual space with dry chlorid cylinder is connected with the four spray nozzles 14 while the ammonia cylinder is connected with the single spray nozzle 20 at the forward open end of the chamber.

In order to produce the most economieal and effective "mixture, about two pounds of tetrachlorid are required for every pound of ammonia. .The cylinders are therefore supplied charged correspondingly with 180 and 100 pounds of the respective chemicals, this quantity being sufficient to produce a smoke for about a half hour, and the desired! proportioning of'the mixture is preferably provided for in the sizes of the nozzle orifices and pressures in the cylinders. 1

In action the moisture ordinarily present in sea air breaks down the tetrachlorid as the draft from the fan 10 carries the spray through the funnel, thus'produc'ing hydrochloric gas, which combines with the am-' monia gas directly to-produce a dense cloud of white smoke. thus formed by the mixing of these gases is cool and entirely harmless to the operator. Any action from excess hydrochloric acid may be avoided by operating the fan slowly for several minutes after finishing the run,

whereby itis only necessary to start the fan 10 andopen the valves 23 and 24 communieating with the gas cylinders. Immediately after startingthe apparatus adense white cloud of smoke will be emitted from the The ammonium chlorid Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal'the gist of'this invention that others can by appl ing current knowledge readily adapt it or various applica tions without omitting certain features that,

from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute. essential characteristics, of the generic or specific aspects of this invention,

and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, a smoke chamber having air injecting means at one end and fluid ejecting nozzles in front of said means.

2. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, a smoke chamber having air injecting means at one end, and ejecting nozzles in front of said means, said nozzles being of different size, and fluid containers connecting with said nozzles.

3. In .an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, an elongated cylindrical chamber having air injecting means at one end, a nozzlev positioned adjacent to said airinjecting means adapted to be connected with a fluid container, and a second nozzle near the opposite end of said chamber adapted to beconnected to a second container.

4. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, an elongated cylindrical chamber havin open ends,- a fan near one end for driving a current of air therethrough, a-plurality of fluid ejecting .means positioned in front. of said 'fan a fluid container connected with 'saidfluid injecting: means, and a second fluid ejecting means located near the opposite end of sai chamber, and a second fluid container connected with said second 'means.

5. In an apparatus for producing moke clouds, in combination, an elongated cylinopen end of the funnel and hang close. to/drical chamber having open ends, a fan near one end for driving a current of air theref the water, spreading slowly upwardly, and maintaining substantially its original density for at least ten or fifteen minutes. At the end of the r 1m,' r when the pursuing boat has beeneluded, the cylinders 'are disconnected and the nozzles blownflout, as above described. The exhaustedltubes;

should immediatelg paratus made rea' use. I I

It is thus seen that the present invention provides 'a simple and practical apparatus be replaced and the vapdesigned to producea thick, dense cloud of white .smoke, which will be safe and easy to handle, as the gases produced are neither poisonous nor combustible- The invention is. therefore believed to accomplish among others all of the objects and advantages .herein set forth.

y for further immediate means for permitting access to said nozzl 'for cleaning the same. 6. In an apparatusfor producing smoke -.clouds', in combination, a chamber,'means for forcing a current of air thro h said chambera plurality of nozzle units positioned within said chamber and in the path of said air currents, andgascylinders connected respectively with each nozzle unit.

7. In'an' apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, a mi having inlet nozzles, a container 0 ammonia chamber A clouds, in combination, a, mixing chamber: having lnlet nozzles, contanrers for ammonia gas connected with one of said nozzles, and

a container of silicon tetrachlorid under.

gaseous pressure connected with the other 'of said nozzles.

8. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, in combination, a mixing chamber having inlet nozzles therein, a container of ammonia gas connected with one of said nozzles, a container of silicon tetrachlorid connected with the other of said nozzles, said container of silicon tetrachlorid being under the gaseous pressure of carbon-dioxid.

9. In an apparatus for producing smokeclouds, 1n combination, a mlxmg chamber' having 1nlet nozzles therein, a container of" ammonia gas connected with one of said nozzles, a container of silicon tetrachlorid under pressure of carbon-dioxid connected with the other of said nozzles, and means for intimately mixing said gases as they leave said nozzles in the presence of air. g 10. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds,in combination, an elongated cylinder having -a fan near one end, a; spray nozzle unit posltioned in front of said fan, a

container of silicon tetrachlorid under pressure connected'with said nozzle unit, and a second nozzle unit at the other end of said cylinder, a container of ammonia gas connected with said second nozzle unit, said container of silicon tetrachlorid bein under pressure of carbon-dioxid and positioned at an angle with respect to the horizontal whereby the silicon tetrachlorid will be forced out at the bottom'of said container.

12. In an apparatus for producing smoke and silicon tetrachlorid connected with said nozzles, and filtering means associated with that one of said nozzles through which the silicon tetrachlorid issues. I

13. In an apparatus for producing smoke clouds, means to produce a current of moist air, spraying means adapted to discharge silicon tetrachlorid into said current at a point relatively near the source of said cur-' rent, and spraying means adapted to discharge into said current ammonia gas at a point relatively remote from said source.

14. An apparatus for roducing smoke clouds, comprising a tub ar member open at both ends whereby acurrent of air may pass therethrough, meansv for injecting a tetrachlorid gas into said member at one point in front of one open 'end through Y which the air enters and means for injecting a second gas into said tubular member at another point whereby, the gases mix within.

said member and issue at the opposite open end in the form of a smoke cloud.

15. An apparatus for producing smoke cloudscomprising means for storing liquefied ammonia under pressure, means for storing liquid silicon-tetra-chlorid charged with carbon dioxid under pressure, spraying means for delivering the liquid silicon-tetrachlorid in the form of a spray to a current of air, and spraying means for delivering ammonia gas in the form of a spray to the hydrochloric gas generated by the action between the silicon-tetra-chlorid and the moist '16. An apparatus "for I roducing smoke clouds comprisingmeans or storing liquefied ammonia under pressure, means for storing liquid silicon-tetra-chlorid charged with carbon dioxid under pressure, means for producing a currentoflmoist air, spray-' ing means for delivering the liquid silicontetra-chlorid in the form of'a spray to the current of moist air, and spra'yingmeans for deliverin ammonia gasin the form of a spray to tfi i y the action between the silicon-tetrachlorid and the moist air. j

Signed at Washington, D. 0., this 8th day of January, 1918. p

THEODORE S. WILKINSON.

e hydrochloric gasgenerated 1 

